In Win XP:

I have two VPCs that need to communicate. Problem is, they both have the same IP address (APIPA). The VPCs HAVE TO BE on the same physical computer.

How can i resolve the problem?

There is a configuration file where you can specify the Mac address of the Virtual computer. It's a VMC file if you are using Virtual PC 2004

You would have seen lot of posts here comparing VMware and VPC2004.

The conclusion has been VPC is a toy used by n00bs - it has neither the features, nor the power, nor the performance.

VMware is what you want, to do anything useful at all. I've had upto 6 VMs running simultaneously and communicating with each other easily.

i need it for my section on troubleshooting , we are only allowed to use VPC and both the VPC's are always assigned the same IP address.

@stewie im using Win not mac

Assign static address' using a bridged connection.

@epic didnt work

So assigning static IP's will not work. It should be working, unless a minor adjustment needs to be made. I will reinstall VPC again (i use VMWare) to see if I can replicate your issue.

Do you have WindowsXP Firewall enabled on both machines, if so, has VPC been made an ecception to communicate between both the client/host PC's. If there is a 3rd party firewall installed make sure it is disabled or create an advanced connection rule between the client/host PC's. Try disabling all securtiy on the PC's and remove your network cable when you do this.

1. Bridged connection, VPC will acquire an IP address (DHCP) from the host PC.

2. Shared connection, VPC will utilize the host netcard to acquire an IP address (DHCP) from the gateway (either your router or cable/dsl modem.

To verify if you have a shared or bridged connection access your cmd line and enter 'ipconfig /all' verify that your IP's are unique and the mask is the same (i.e. 255.255.255.128).

@epic thanks...it was for my collegue.

Thanks and sorry for all the trouble.

I meant the MAC address, nothing to do with apple. The mac address is the unique number each network card has. If you start up multiple VPC with the same mac address the resulting IP address will be the same.

I have a class of 12 pc's on the same network using Virtual pc 2004

Follow this link: Virtual pc 2004

yup you right stevie it worked THANKS.

my friend n college was overwhelmed by the quick response and dedication of the ppl here on msfn and have expressed that she is thanksful for all your help.

--- she asked me to put this here